And Then I Found You
by Aiikawarazu
Summary: Update: Eren and Mikasa were both standing underneath the mistletoe, as Armin who was impatient with how slow they both had been progressing decided to tell them the myth about that plant - to give them a little push. Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin, nor its awesome characters
1. Reason to Live

**Eremika drabble #1**

**Title: Reason to Live**

**Rated: T**

**Summary: He finally realizes his feelings for her**

* * *

She was silent.

Her eyes closed, her lips pale and bruised, parting slightly. Her shallow breathing, the steady rhythm of her chest rising and falling with every breath she took are the only signs telling him that she's still alive. Mikasa was wounded, and this was not the first time she had thrown herself into danger to save him. He brought his hand to her face and caressed slightly the crescent-shaped scar on her cheek. Mikasa had said that it was all right, that he did not intentionally hurt her. But it was the unintentional part that had scared him the most.

He bit his lips and smiled bitterly. For once, watching her like this, he couldn't help feeling that she looked more human than any other times. _But it was because if him._ _He was the only reason she had thrown aside her humanity._ Everything in her life was always centered around him that it hurt him to think about it. He had so long mistaken the feelings he had for her for frustration, annoyance, causing him to push her away countless of times.

But now as they both came out from the brink of death, he realized it was none of those at all.

He was afraid of losing her. That one day she would die protecting him. And if that happened he wasn't sure he could live with the pain, the guilt. That he was the one who sent her to her death.

Before he knew it he had grabbed her hand tightly in his. It used to be her all this time, her small hand locking in his tightly, silently telling him that she was there for him. But it was different this time around.

"You're selfish, Mikasa," he heard himself whispered. "You wanted me to be your reason to live. You threw your life so carelessly for my sake. You have no idea…" He drew a deep intake, swallowing back the words that almost escaped his lips.

That you are also my reason to live.

"Stop fighting so much for my sake." He brought their interlocked hands and pressed them softly to his forehead, pleading.

_I love you._


	2. Once Upon A Time

**Eremika drabble #2**

**Title: Once Upon A Time**

**Rated: K**

**Summary: Eremika toddler wants a bedtime story, and she tells one inspired from her own life**

**Notes: Credits for the child headcanon goes to Anorable and Kuro-Shinozaki (always my inspiration). Thanks!**

* * *

A pair of eyes looking at her, smiling, tucking at her hand and giggling slightly. And as she stared back into the familiar green eyes, she couldn't help but smile.

"It's late now, you should sleep," she said to her three years old daughter. Looking at Carla was like staring at the mirror image of her, only with a slight mistake. Carla's eyes were dazzling dark green, the color of forest, the color that symbolized life.

And the very same color with the eyes of the boy she had always loved since childhood, and had now become her loving husband.

She tried to cover her daughter with a blanket but she seemed too energetic to sleep. Instead, she squealed. "Bedtime story, Mommy!" and Mikasa smiled. "Okay, I will tell you one story," she yielded and gently sat herself down on the edge of her daughter's bed.

"Once upon a time," she started, watching as her daughter curling herself comfortably on her bed, hugging her pillow. Her small eyes were fixed at her, staring intently with wonder and curiosity. "There was a prince living alone in his castle. He had a treasure, wrapped around his neck. He named it the _red string of fate_."

"One day," she continued. Her tone unexpectedly grew softer as she reminisced the scene from her childhood that still held dear to her, no matter how many times she played it in her mind. "The prince went out of his castle. He found a girl, poor and heartbroken, with no home to go to. So he gave her his precious treasure and wrapped the red string of fate around her neck."

"What is the red string of fate, Mommy?" Mikasa softly caressed her daughter's hair, pausing slightly before answering.

"A red string of fate ties two people. No matter where you are, the red string of fate will bring your hearts close to each other, and keep you together."

"Just like daddy and mommy?" she asked, her eyes big with astonishment.

"Just like daddy and mommy, yes," said Mikasa softly.

"Now," she gave her daughter a kiss on her forehead. "Time for bed." As she got up and began to leave, her daughter prompted her again with a final question.

"Will the prince and the girl live happily ever after?"

"Of course, dear," she answered gently. "The prince brought her to his home and they live happily ever after in the prince's castle."

_And now_, she stared at the little girl, slowly falling asleep with a smile on her lips, _they were blessed with a very beautiful little daughter._

She sighed, feeling happiness swell on her heart. Tiptoeing so that she wouldn't wake her daughter, she turned off the lights and walked out of the room.


	3. Right Beside You

**Eremika drabble #3**

**Title: Right Beside You**

**Rated: K**

**Summary: ****Eren fell sick and Mikasa stayed by his side all night. Kid Eremika**

**Notes: Carla and Mikasa's dialogue was inspired by Anorable's drabble "Mother Always Knows". Thanks for the inspiration!**

* * *

A single light from the candle flickered slightly, illuminating the shape of two individuals in the room. A boy was lying down on his bed, his eyes closed, while a girl sat firmly beside his bed, fidgeting. Her black eyes never left the boy's face, her fingers softly entangled with his, filling in the empty space between each. Moving carefully so that she wouldn't wake him up, she picked up the damp cloth on his forehead, dipped it in the cold water basin, and squeezed out the remaining water in the cloth before putting it again on the boy's forehead. With a sigh of relief she felt his temperature had begun to go down, though he was still feverish nonetheless.

"Mikasa," she could hear the gentle voice calling out her name and she turned. Carla Yeager was eyeing her from the open door, her look was full of motherly concern. "Why are you still up? You should get some sleep. Eren will be fine."

"It's fine," she said quickly, "I, uhm..," her eyes shied away from the older woman's. "Eren was sick because of me, if I hadn't forgotten to bring an umbrella, he wouldn't have to lend me his jacket to shelter me from rain, so…" She eyed the tip of her toes, blushing slightly inside at her excuses. That wasn't the real reason she had chosen to stay. She didn't sleep because she simply didn't want to leave him.

Carla tried to hide her smile. She had been aware of Mikasa's feelings for her son, though the said son seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact. It was obvious, the way Mikasa always looked at her son, the way her gaze lingered on him when he wasn't looking and how she always blushed slightly when Eren held her hand. She had watched them from time to time, often smiling inside, imagining both of them growing up and her son gradually seeing his childhood friend as more than a friend – as a woman. Already Carla could imagine Eren, coming up to her and asking for motherly advice of what to do when the feeling of mutual kindness finally turned into love. And she smiled at the thought. She couldn't wait for that time to come.

"Allright, but don't force yourself," she finally said. "If you are tired, you should go to sleep. OK?" Mikasa nodded and Carla left the room, closing the door quietly. Mikasa leapt to Eren's side, her hand quickly slipping into his.

_I'll be here, Eren_, she pressed his hand to her cheek, feeling his fever burn against her cold skin. _I'll be here all night. So that when you wake up, you'll find me._

* * *

Eren slowly opened his eyes when the light of the morning sun touched his face. For a while he wondered what he had been doing, and why it felt like such a long sleep. He reached to his forehead, and felt a piece of cloth there. He pulled it and stared blankly at the white cloth for a while, then he finally remembered what happened. Yesterday he insisted on running back home during a heavy downpour, without an umbrella or anything to shelter him, not caring that he had had a fever. Right after he got home his fever worsened, and he collapsed right on the front door. He didn't know what happened after that, or how long he had been asleep.

Eren tried to get up, but he felt something firm holding his hand in place. He turned and his gaze immediately fell on Mikasa. She sat on the floor, her upper body crouched on the edge of his bed. Her head lay on top of one hand she used as a pillow, while the other hand was holding his. Her eyes closed and her breath was steady. She was sleeping. Eren's eyes went wide as he realized what happened.

_She was here all the time?_ he thought, guilt surged inside him as he thought of her image, being by his bed all night, waiting for him to come to. He reached his hand and stroked several strands of stray hair falling to her face, tucking them back behind her ear. He was silent for a moment, then he heard himself saying, in a voice softer than what he thought he could ever use.

"Thank you, Mikasa…"


	4. Winter Myth - Part I

**EreMika Drabble Prompt #4**

**Title: Winter Myth - Part I**

**Rated: T**

**Summary: Eren and Mikasa were both standing underneath the _mistletoe_, as Armin who was impatient with how slow they both had been progressing decided to tell them the myth about that plant - to give them a little push**

* * *

"How about this?" Eren asked, moving the bundle of plants tied together with a red ribbon a little bit to the left. Trying to maintain his balance on top of the wooden steps, he stretched his arms as far as possible to hang the sprig of plants on the ceiling. His eyes trailed over the figure of his squad leader, who's standing not far from him, his face clearly showing disapproval.

"Not good," Levi scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. "It still looks ugly. Move a bit to the right again." Eren growled. "But, Heichou! We have been moving this plant decoration for nearly an hour and still we can't find the right position!" he protested.

It was one of the few times that Scouting Legion would have a holiday. With snow storm raging outside of the headquarter today, the Scouting Legion was forced to stay inside all the time, focusing instead on learning battle tactics and the art of war, rather than maneuvering on their three dimensional gears. And Levi had of course find Eren to utilize his labor in decorating the room for the upcoming winter solstice, which was due to arrive in a few days.

Every time Levi had told Eren to do anything – such as cleaning up his room or mowing the garden, he had always found fault in Eren's work and told him to do it all over again. This time was no exception. Eren really didn't know what the squad leader was looking for. From what he knew, the plant would look just as nice, whether it was hanging exactly in the center of the room, or a little bit to the left. Levi on the other hand, seemed to think otherwise. He had constantly told Eren to shift the plant a centimeter to the right, or left, move diagonally, upward, backward… sometimes Levi would even command him to hang the plant in an entirely different place, halfway across the room. And he had to step down, move the wooden stairs, and climb up again before repeating the same process. There was not even a single part of the room that had not been touched. Eren's arms were already stiff from constantly reaching out to the ceiling, and his legs began to go numb of too much tiptoeing on the wooden steps, yet Levi had not find the best place to hang the decoration.

"It's called _mistletoe_, for your record, Eren. And if you have time to talk, you better use that sorry excuse of a brain to find a suitable place to hang it," Levi retorted sharply, and Eren fell silent. Grumbling slightly, he obeyed Levi's command to move the plant to the right, and was finally relieved when he heard the squad leader's voice.

"That looks good," said Levi, sounding satisfied.

"But Heichou…," said Eren, eyeing the decoration plant carefully. "Uhm… This is exactly the first place we had hanged this plant on…"

"And how would we know that it's the best place, if we didn't try other places first?" said Levi, and Eren sulked, choosing to swallow his words rather than inciting another argument with his squad leader.

"Now, clean up this room. It's filthy," said Levi, making his way to exit the room. "Make sure it is clean when I come to check, or do it all over again." And with that, he left.

Eren sighed. Climbing down the stairs, he massaged his sore upper arms and shoulders. Really, humanity's strongest was inhuman in many kinds of ways… not only his combat abilities, but even as far as his level of attention to details. Picking up a broomstick from the corner, he started sweeping the floor. He'd better give this cleaning a serious effort, or else he'd risk the wrath of his squad leader.

"Eren?" Mikasa's clear voice suddenly prompted him, making him turn. His adoptive sister was standing on the entrance to the room, glaring at him, clearly showing disdain at his activity. "Did that midget heichou just make you his slave labor again?"

"Ah… no. It's fine, Mikasa, really," hurriedly he tried to calm his sister's foul mood. Mikasa had never liked it when Levi ordered him around, but come to think of it, she was always protective of him, a bit too much for her own good. "I have free time, it's okay," he assured her again. Mikasa approached him, still looking unconvinced and certainly displeased at Levi. "I can help you," she offered, but before he could answer, her attention was diverted by the greeneries hanging from the ceiling.

"What is this?" she asked. Her tone was full of wonder as she eyed the bundle of plants tied together with a red ribbon that was hanging slightly above her head. Gingerly her fingers moved to touch the green bushes, tracing the sharp edges of the small leaves.

"Oh… that," he said, moving closer to her. "Yeah… looks nice, doesn't it? It's called _mistly_… I mean _mist_.. _mostle_…," Eren tried to pronounce the name of the plant but he couldn't seem to remember it, only getting more and more awkward as Mikasa stared at him with increasing wonder.

"It's _mistletoe_!" a voice chimed from near the door, and they both turned. "It's a kind of parasitic plant, they grow in trees and absorb water and nutrients from the host. Here they are used as winter decoration, apparently." Mikasa and Eren both stared at their childhood friend Armin, who was standing at the door and, as usual, took the trouble to explain things to them.

"I see," said Mikasa, shifting her gaze back to the bush, and continued poking it slightly. "It's a nice plant then, considering this is a parasite."

"There was… a myth though. About this plant," said Armin, suddenly fidgeting awkwardly, as Mikasa and Eren both turned at him with questioning looks. He wasn't sure if he should tell them about the myth. He didn't even know how to point it out to his two best friends. He had seen how things develop between them since six years ago. And thanks to both of them being dumb and completely insensitive, it had never reached that stage. Even until now he still wasn't sure if they both realized their feelings for one another, though to him the matter was always clearer than a living daylight.

"What's the myth?" asked Mikasa, and Armin continued calmly. Maybe… all they needed was a little push. And this might just be the perfect push that he was looking for.

"Well…," he said. ""From what I read in the book… If two people stood underneath the mistletoe…," he eyed both of his friend's faces once again before pressing on the point.

"They had to… kiss."

There was a thunk, and a silent cry of _'What?'_ following his words, as Eren and Mikasa both jumped away from underneath the mistletoe. Eren's knees collided with the table, while Mikasa hit the wall just as hard, inciting an '_Ow!_' from both of them. Armin bit his lips to prevent his laughter from escaping. They both reacted just as he had imagined. Eren was always such an open book to read, but what amused him more was the fact that Mikasa, the cool, level-headed Mikasa, was also affected by his words, more than he thought she would. He could see a very faint trace of pink began to taint her pale cheeks, as her eyes moved silently from the mistletoe on the ceiling, then to Eren, then to Armin, only to find out that the blonde had been staring back at her rather intently. Hurriedly she turned her gaze away, but as she did so, he could see the faint trace on her cheeks grew even more distinct. Armin's lips twitched slightly as he tried to hold back his smile. Oh, she wouldn't mind the kiss, he knew she wouldn't.

Eren, on the other hand, was none as cool.

"K-kiss..? Only because we both stood underneath a PLANT?" Eren stuttered, trying to make an excuse as his face flushed red. "What kind of myth is that?"

"No excuse," said Armin immediately. Maybe Eren was the one needing more push here. "You have to do it."

"W-what if we don't?"

"Then you'll get seven years of bad luck." Eren gasped. He had had enough of bad luck already, having his home destroyed, discovering that he was a titan shifter, even sometimes still being treated as the enemy of humanity. Good things just started to happen when he was allowed to join Scouting Legion. He didn't need another seven years of bad luck waiting for him. Armin watched as Eren's expression slowly changed, his fingers crossed behind his back. Silently he was glad that Eren took his words seriously, although of course, it was essentially just a bluff he made on the spot to convince him. With the way his mind worked, always one-track and simple, Eren was such an easy target for bluffing.

"Uhm… then…," from the corner of his eyes, Eren observed Mikasa. Her face was still stone-cold, impassive. The never-ending coolness of her was beginning to frustrate him. "M-mikasa… Do you want to…?"

"I don't mind," Mikasa cut him even before he was finished, and Eren gaped. _How did she sound like this didn't affect her at all?_ He was embarrassed at the thought of kissing her – so much to the point of wanting to run from this room, or hide, or both at once. Yet, her attitude was as though he just asked her to be his sparring partner on a one-on-one combat practice. Cool, icy, and not even bothered in the slightest bit. He knew she was always like that, but for some reason, seeing her so unaffected like this at the thought of both of them _kissing_ - Eren didn't know why this made him upset.

"Allright then," said Armin, trying not to sound too obviously amused. He grabbed Eren's hand and pulled him up so that he would stand underneath the mistletoe. With the other hand, Armin signaled for Mikasa to stand in front of Eren, which she obeyed immediately.

"Now, I'll leave both of you here," said Armin cheerfully. "Don't worry, I won't look. Just remember, seven years of bad luck if you didn't do it!" Eren's face was getting redder, and Mikasa was burying the entire lower half of her face in her scarf, as he turned his back to them and walked out of the room.


	5. Winter Myth - Part II

**Eremika Drabble Prompt #5**

**Title: Winter Myth - Part II**

**Rated: T**

**Summary: They kissed underneath the mistletoe. Enough said, just read~**

* * *

"…Now what?" asked Eren as he watched Armin disappearing out of the room, the door clicked shut behind him.

"Now we kiss," Mikasa's voice, infuriatingly calm, answered his rhetorical question, causing his face to flare hot of embarrassment once again.

"Mikasa…," his voice choked, much too agitated to be considered calm. His eyes quickly traced her face, only to find her pair of calm black eyes looking back at him, seemingly devoid of any emotions.

"You are not… bothered?" he asked. Mikasa simply tilted her head to the side, her strands of black hair falling softly on her shoulder, a gesture that curiously made his heart beat faster.

"It is not a big deal… just touching our lips," she said, and Eren felt his heart sink. So that was it. That explained why she was very calm. Mikasa didn't feel anything at all. She wasn't bothered because she didn't think anything about the kiss. There was no romantic attachment involved.

And he was devastated to know that he was the only one getting worked out about kissing her, while to her it was just touching lips – and nothing more.

His face must have showed what he thought, because in the next second, Mikasa's voice brought him back. And her next words were certainly not what he had been expecting.

"We _have_ kissed before, Eren."

"WHAT?" he cried frantically as a response, and Mikasa's eyes widened in surprise seeing his sudden agitation. "W-w-when?" he stuttered

"It was back then, I was trying to pull you out of a fight," she explained, her looks a little bit puzzled. "You fell on top of me, and our lips were touching… and we kissed just like that… You don't remember?"

Eren was dumbstruck as he tried to remember what she was talking about. His memories of it were a blur, but now that Mikasa mentioned it, he could kind of recall the scene. It might have happened, a long time ago. He had got into another fight, and Mikasa, of course, had saved him again. She had pulled his arm but he had resisted, and he had fallen on top of her and – his fingers unconsciously moved to touch his lips.

"Isn't that what you will call kissing?" said Mikasa rather cluelessly, her eyes stared straight at him without blinking. He sighed.

"That was accidental, Mikasa."

"So… what is a kiss, then?" she continued, and for a while he didn't say anything, frozen at the subtle meaning behind her seemingly clueless words. Her words hung in the air, just like the puffing of their breaths in the cold air. The last wisps of her words sunk in gradually, when he finally decided to speak.

"Maybe we can try," he said.

And she gasped softly, retracting herself back, but he caught her hands to prevent her from getting away, smirking. It seemed like Mikasa was not as unaffected by him as he thought she was.

He couldn't deny it - she was attractive. She was his childhood friend, they had always been together. But standing this close to her, he began to feel a curious feeling. As though he wanted to draw closer to her, and kiss her. He wanted to feel those thin, luscious lips of her, wanted to taste them, savor them, as he gathered her in his arms, feeling her body heat, running his fingers through her hair, and breathing her scent that always smelled like home.

And then she would know how wrong she was, for ever thinking that a kiss was just touching lips. He would fill her in completely until all she could feel inside herself was him. And when he was done with her, she wouldn't even be able to go for days without remembering.

Slowly, he shifted his pair of green eyes back at her. Mikasa refused to return his gaze, staring desperately at an empty space on the floor. She didn't say anything either, and though her face was stone-cold as usual, he could see her already turning red beneath the strands of black hair falling softly to her face.

Slowly, slowly, his fingers trailed along her jawline softly before tilting her face up to meet him. The traces of color on her face were becoming more visible, turning into bright red as she realized how close they were to one another. Their faces were just a breath away. His body was warm, his breath was puffing slightly in the air. He could see himself reflected on her pair of dark eyes as he silently admired their colors, which looked black from afar, but as he drew closer, he could see the thin shades of gray decorating her irises.

It was the color of clouds when rain was about to fall – the color of sky that afternoon when he had first met her.

And the color of her eyes was all it took for him to remember that night in the forest, when she stared at him with a pair of cold, trembling eyes, as he wrapped his scarf around her.

It felt so nice to stand there with Mikasa, their bodies pressed close, not uttering a word, only letting the silence sink in upon them as they tried to feel one another. He leaned closer against her, his forehead touching hers, before softly speaking.

"This… is a kiss."

And his lips found her, swiftly but softly, speaking a hundred different words at once in a single kiss as they breathed each other, letting out all the years of unspoken feelings for one another. His hands rested on her hips, her hands at the nape of his neck, embracing him silently. At the moment it felt like an escape from the constantly cruel reality, yet at the same time, it was the only real thing for them, to be touching each other, feeling each other with every inches of their skin, with every intake of breath.

And when he finally pulled away, Mikasa did not speak. Then, slowly, her hand traced the soft features of her lips, before speaking.

"It was not bad…."

"What?!" he shouted angrily, feeling his pride hurt at her seemingly care-free words. He put everything into that kiss, and this was all her response?

"Mikasa, you were into it as much as, if not more than, I was! And that is all you say?" She didn't answer. Her eyes glinted, and for a while he could almost see emotions there in the pool of black ink. Her lips curled into a mischievous smile as she reached out her hand, swiftly pulling the front of his shirt and leaning forward. Before he realized it, she had met him into yet another kiss.

"A good thing deserves another go," she said as she broke the kiss, pulling away from him. The taste of her lips still lingered on his as she made to head for the door. "There's a strategy briefing session in a few minutes. Let's go," she said, but was surprised when his hands stopped her in the next second, reaching for the door and turning in the lock from the inside. She only had a moment to stare into his emerald green eyes, before his hands caged her in, and his body pressed her firmly against the wall. His lips found her neck fast, nuzzling it slightly, smirking. A hot hand slid under her shirt, caressing the smoothness beneath. A silent moan escaped her lips as she pulled the brown strands of his hair within her hands, sighing softly. She knew what he was up to, and she wanted it as bad as he did… but they'd be late if they didn't head out now.

"Eren..," she started, but he cut her sharp.

"You're the one who wanted another go," he said, ignoring her. His hands unbuckled her belts, shifting a knee between her legs to separate them, pressing slightly on her clothed womanhood. For someone with no experience, he sure worked fast. "So as you wish, I'll give you another go." And by then, she knew he wasn't going to listen to any reasons. She dropped her head back obligingly, closing her eyes as she felt his tongue trailed on her collarbone, and his pair of hands squeezed.

When they arrived on the meeting, they were thirty minutes late. And needless to say, they had to take Levi's rage head-on. His eyes trailed on Mikasa's bruised lips, to her state of helplessly tangled hair, and a hint of red on her neck which she attempted to hide with the scarf. It was obvious to him even without questioning why they had been late to the meeting, and he could not hide his annoyance at this pair of sexually frustrated teenagers.

"Eren, if you want to screw your girlfriend that badly… do it on your free time," he said crassly, loud enough for the whole room to hear, as the pair in front of him turned bright red. They had to clean every corner in the Scouting Legion headquarter for a month after that, but Eren had never found any punishments more worth it.


End file.
